We all need faith and frugality now more than ever

Many Bible scholars have chosen the powerful parable of Jesus in Luke 15 about the “prodigal son” as the greatest story ever told. Likely more sermons were preached last week on the prodigal son than any other passage, for it shows — not just how bad a runaway son can be but — how patient and loving a father can be. I’ve always wondered if we gave it the appropriate title as it could be the ‘forgiving father’ as the main character. The father in this story is, of course, a picture of God.

One of two sons decides he is in “dullsville” and wants to go where the grass is greener in some other pasture. He begs his father for his inheritance and goes out on his own, throwing parties and lavishly wasting his inheritance until it is all gone and his would-be-friends have moved on. The only job he can get is feeding swine, and for a Jew, that’s the pits. He “comes to his senses,” returns to his father and begs him to take him back as a hired hand. The father had seen him coming down the road and ran to meet him, embraced him, ordered shoes put on his feet and a ring on his finger. The son was forgiven and reinstated in the family, but he never would forget how foolish and wasteful he had been.

The definition of “prodigal” is “lavishly wasteful.” And likely we all are guilty of being prodigals in some way. A Chinese official visiting our country was asked what impressed him most. He answered, “The size of your trash cans.” We do throw away a lot. But the truth is with us being in a land of plenty and Madison Avenue advertising alluring products they say we just have to have. The financial analysts some time back said Americans were spending 110 percent of their income, which meant we were borrowing or mortgaging ourselves in a deep hole. Much of what we were getting in debt for was not necessary.

If the Good Samaritan had not had some “extra” to assist in emergencies, we would not have heard about him. Solomon warns in Proverbs about overeating, overdrinking and foolish stewardship. Paul says in Romans 13, “Owe no man anything except to love one another.” In Romans 12, he says “Give liberally with zeal.” My father did not build our home until he could pay for it in cash. My wife’s father did not buy a car unless he had enough cash to do so. The Amish have something to teach us about good stewardship and thrift so we can be better to our families, though it seems impossible today not to borrow or take out a mortgage for something.

Congress is grilling authorities in one of our most important agencies as to why they spent millions on parties that should have been learning sessions. Contractors were charging $175 for a screwdriver or pair of pliers for government jobs overseas. Millions, no billions, have been given to unfriendly nations for relief but there was no accountability for it. A U.S. plane landed in one of the occupied oil countries without an adequate plan to distribute it so unauthorized workers quietly emptied millions of dollars and vanished with it.

I love and respect our military, know many of the Marine pilots and even spent two days on an aircraft carrier with a squadron from Beaufort. An F-18 fighter plane costs between $35 and $50 million and costs $2,750 per hour to keep in the air. They are essential for our safety. But we allow ourselves to get in wars which could be averted. A Quaker organization called American Friends Service Committee says it costs U. S. taxpayers $1.2 million every minute we are in war. When Isaiah challenged Israel to “beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks,” he was reminding us peace is so much less expensive than war. A tractor for farming is far less expensive than a tank or fighter plane. Examine your budget. Faith and frugality we need.

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